ANGE POSTECOGLOU admitted a large number of Spurs fans have lost faith in him — and confessed he would start the season differently if he could.
Tottenham are languishing in the bottom half of the table, lost to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-finals and went out of the FA Cup after a fourth-round defeat to Aston Villa.
Their wretched, injury-hit campaign could still end gloriously, though, if they can win the Europa League, with a quarter-final first leg at home to Eintracht Frankfurt next Thursday.
But boss Ange knows he no longer retains the full backing of many disillusioned supporters, despite the promise of his debut campaign last year.
The 59-year-old said: “There’s no doubt there’s probably a large portion of Tottenham fans who have lost a bit of faith and belief in what we’re doing.
“They were encouraged by what they saw last year but that certainly hasn’t manifested itself this year.
“I still am really optimistic and bullish about the squad we’ve got. I think there will be enormous growth in them once we can navigate through this.
“Surviving tough times can be such a strong uniter of people.”
Postecoglou has had a crippling injury list to deal with, with a whole host of players suffering from muscle issues.
And in an interview for Optus Sport, the Aussie told compatriot and former goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer that he wished he had not worked his players so hard at the start season.
The former Celtic chief explained: “We probably got the start of the year wrong. It’s becoming increasingly challenging for footballers these days, they don’t get the traditional break.
“We went into the season really hard and we probably underestimated the challenges of Europe this year with the two extra games and us having a deep cup run.
“You add to the mix that we lost some key players early on and it feels like we’ve been chasing our tails since then. We haven’t been able to get ahead of the challenge we’ve had.
“Every time we try to get some steady ground, something else happens that shifts and a lot of that goes back to the start of the year.
“We maybe would have taken a different approach knowing the season we had ahead.
“I’ve been trying to mend things as we go along.
“Probably in hindsight, with some better planning at the start of the year, I would have gone for a bit of a softer start to the season in terms of the way we tackled things.”
Spurs travel across London to rivals Chelsea tomorrow, host basement boys Southampton on Sunday and then have their first leg at home to Frankfurt four days later.
Postecoglou added: “The Europa League is a massive opportunity. We’re one of eight clubs [still in it].
“If you can go through what we’ve been through this year and come out the other side of it and have success, it’s a great builder for the future.”
VICKI Fowler’s new love interest Ross Marshall shows his dark side in upcoming EastEnders scenes.
Ross – played by Alex Walkinshaw – arrived in Walford alongside a returning Vicki for her uncle Martin Fowler’s funeral.
His presence comes as a shock to some residents – who believed Vicki was still with Spencer Moon (Christopher Parker).
Vicki and Ross are also accompanied by Ross’ teenage son, Joel.
In scenes yet to air, Ross attempts to make things right with Sharon by apologising for upsetting Alfie.
However, she soon makes it clear that she won’t be won over by smooth talking.
Ross later takes a mysterious phone call and makes it his mission to convince Vicki they should stay in Walford longer than planned.
He proves hellbent on keeping Vicki in Walford, despite her having booked flights home.
After being unable to convince her directly, he turns to manipulating Ian Beale.
Ross persuades him that Mark Junior, not Vicki, should be the one to step up for grieving Michelle.
Elsewhere, Vicki gets a call from Michelle, and it looks like Ross’s plan has worked.
Actor Alex Walkinshaw, 50, is the eighth alum from ITV police show The Bill to relocate to Walford from Sun Hill.
Some previous examples include Scott Maslen (Jack Branning) and Diane Parish (Denise Fox).
He also portrayed Adrian “Fletch” Fletcher on both Casualty and Holby City.
Speaking previously of his role as newcomer Ross, Alex said: “I am really excited as I’ve had so many friends on EastEnders throughout the years, and I always hear lovely things about it.
“The show is top draw drama and I can’t wait to get stuck in. Ross is a decent, hardworking family man, he always puts family first, and he is very in love with Vicki, but it’s not always plain sailing.”
Alex’s casting was announced last month, alongside that of Alice Haig as a recast Vicki Fowler and Max Murray as Joel.
Over the years the likes of EastEnders, Emmerdale and Coronation Street have all tried to try outdo each other with their outlandish plots in a bid to keep us tuning in each week. But here are some of the darkest that had fans in shock…
Fans were thrilled by the news, as one wrote on X: “Alex Walkinshaw / Smithy from The Bill!!!! What great casting with various shows apart from The Bill he’s been involved with.”
Another added: “Alex Walkinshaw is perfect for EastEnders. He was incredible in the Bill.”
While a third remarked: “Great to see @WalkinshawAlex finally in EastEnders.
“Always thought it likely once The Bill finished and of course he was then great in Waterloo Road, Casualty and Holby #EastEnders.”
THE Tour Championship is UNDERWAY and a new champion will be crowned in Manchester!
That is because 2024 winner Mark Williams was knocked out in the first round of his title defence by Ding Junhui.
Today, World No1 Judd Trump gets his campaign underway with a quarter-final clash against Barry Hawkins.
Later, Neil Robertson takes on Mark Selby in the featured tie of the day.
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DELE ALLI and his model girlfriend Cindy Kimberley enjoyed a romantic day out in Lake Como.
The former Tottenham and England star embraced his new surroundings after signing for Italian side Como in January.
Alli, 28, and his partner Cindy, 26, dressed to impress as they sailed the idyllic waters in the region of Lombardy.
They soaked up the spring sun and took in the incredible views while relaxing on a luxurious boat.
Cindy stunned in a stylish white dress and sunglasses, accompanying the outfit with an eye-catching necklace.
Alli kept cool by throwing his green jumper over his shoulders and he showed off a dazzling watch.
Back on dry land, Cindy put on a leggy display as she walked the streets of the city.
She showed off the snaps to her 7.2 million Instagram followers, captioning the post: “Spring in Como.”
Alli replied with a heart emoji, while others wrote: “Pretty in Italy.”
Another added: “True beauty.”
A third commented: “Omg the dress you look stunning queen.”
Alli seems to be loving his new life in Como, working under manager Cesc Fabregas.
His fresh start comes after leaving Everton and missing two years of football due to injury problems.
He has only made one appearance for Como so far and his dream return to the pitch ended up being a nightmare as he was harshly sent off after just ten minutes.
